nomos architects transforms industrial boiler station into community art center in china

tanart community center by nomos architects

Nomos Architects breathes new life into an old coal-burning boiler station, reviving it as a community exhibition and retail space in the core urban district of Xi’an, China. Presenting a new type of ecology in the city, the TanArt Community Center introduces a cultural hub within an industrial heritage site with a seamless fusion of two eras and functions.

Various art exhibition spaces have been integrated within the original tall boiler operation room, meanwhile the smaller rooms have been converted to commercial spaces to fund, plan, and accommodate the events. Protecting its original frame and typology, including the tall chimneys and large coal scuttles, a new runway connects the outdoor square and the main exhibition hall on the third floor. In addition to serving functional needs this transitional space also highlights the new interventions applied to the brick chimney and marks a bridge between the past and present.

reviving an industrial heritage site with cultural value

The Xi’an Shiyou University residential campus boiler station, emblematic of the typical coal-burning plants in North China, was completed in 1997 and closed in 2014. Today, with a shift to a different energy supply system this facility stands obsolete yet as a strong reminder of the industrial era, somewhat like a historical ruin. With this in mind, Nomos Architects preserves the industrial heritage site and converts it into the mixed-use TanArt Community center — a new type of ecology in Xi’an.

To bring in soft light and enhance the building’s thermal performance, the original elevation was replaced with polycarbonate panels. Not only introducing a new, refreshed scale, this intervention contrasts dramatically with the surrounding residences and emphasizes the building’s industrial characteristics. The modern new frontage further subtly marks the transformation into a new public space which now engages more directly with its encompassing urban environment.

Inside, MEP equipment has replaced the former production facilities. Nomos Architects optimize some of the existing installations to minimize disruption to the space, while others are embraced as part of the displays. Notably, the air ducts in the main exhibition hall take advantage of the triangular space between the coal scuttles and the columns, providing conditioned air through 24 spherical nozzles. Further, the new stainless-steel coverings are positioned alongside the old aged concrete, each representing their respective times.

Due to the possibility of COVID-19 quarantines on campus, the architects created additional exhibition spaces with an industrial design language by used scaffolding to create a temporary fence that double as a basic frame for displaying posters, resting chairs, and selling booths depending on the event.

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project info:

name: TanArt Community
architecture: Nomos Architects

location: Xi’an, China

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